The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) Justice and Peace Commission applauds the courage of Mr Nene in presenting himself to the Zondo Commission. We thank him for disclosing a number of issues that we always suspected about his dismissal from the cabinet of former President Zuma.
 
We also applaud him for the stance he took in refusing to pen his name to the documents agreeing to the nuclear deal between Russia and South Africa.
 
It is not clear why he did not disclose all these details earlier when he was fired. Perhaps the unity of the party was far more important than the wrongdoings of the ruling party.
 
His apology is well accepted. But he is not a junior civil servant. He holds an important position in the current cabinet. The contradictions regarding his meetings with the Guptas do not paint a picture of a man who could continue to earn public trust.
 
He was a hero yesterday but today that image has been tarnished. The effort is to clean up the high levels of corruption in all sectors. We appeal to him to accompany his apology with a greater sense of accountability, which should include resignation from public office
 

Issued by The The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference